Varig Brazilian Airlines Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
VARIG

Founded	1927
Ceased operations	July 2006
Hubs	Rio de Janeiro
Headquarters	Porto Alegre

A Varig Boeing 757 at Brasília.

Varig Brazilian Airlines, often called VARIG, was once the biggest airline in Brazil. It stopped flying in 2006 because of financial problems. Today, another airline called Gol Transportes Aéreos is sometimes seen as the "new Varig."

History of Varig
- Early Flights and Growth
- Joining Star Alliance and Changes
Images for kids
See also

History of Varig

Varig started a long time ago, on May 7, 1927. It was created by people from Germany who had moved to Brazil.

Early Flights and Growth

In 1955, Varig began flying non-stop between New York City and Rio de Janeiro. This was a big deal for air travel back then. In the 1960s, Varig took over many international routes. These routes came from another airline called Panair do Brasil that had gone out of business. Varig started flying to places like Frankfurt, Lisbon, and Paris.

Varig grew very big by buying smaller airlines in Brazil. It became the largest airline in all of South America.

Joining Star Alliance and Changes

In 1997, Varig made history. It was the first airline ever to join Star Alliance. This is a group of airlines that work together.

By 2001, another airline, TAM Airlines, became the largest in Brazil. Varig faced more challenges. Eventually, Varig stopped flying its own planes. In 2007, it became part of a different airline.